Heavenly Creatures
by Rekall
Summary: Atemu, a Shadow Creature is created to serve Seto, prince of the land. The pair quickly develop a deep bond until Seto's father forces them apart. A civil war erupts and Seto has to choose between his country and his lover. [SetoYami]
1. Unexpected Surprise

**A/N - **Big thank yous to **Dragon** for allowing me to take over her story, and **Dukie **for editing it like always.

* * *

"Well aren't you a strange looking creature?"

"I am not."

A delicate dark eyebrow rose over sapphire eyes as Seto looked at the small childish creature in front of him. The thing had to be a few years younger than himself making it about 5 in human years. But he was strange looking, with odd tri-colored hair made up of crimson, ebony, and gold that stuck up in all directions and framed the child-creature's bronzed face and eerie but intriguing crimson eyes. He was dressed in a simple slave's clothing of thin white material that wrapped around his waist like a kilt, and his bare arms were crossed over his equally thinly clothed chest.

But that wasn't what made him stand out the most.

No, it was the dragon-like black leather wings that stuck out of the child's back and the swishing black, arrow-like tipped tail that made his new possession strange.

"Oh? So looking like a dragon reject is normal?"

"It's normal for me!" the child-creature pouted as he narrowed his crimson eyes. "Look I didn't cause me to be this way. Go ask your father why he thought I should look like this."

"Excuse me?" Seto's eyes held a look of confusion as they settled on the golden collar wrapped around the other's neck.

"He didn't tell you?" Seto shook his head. "Your father made me. I was created for some reason and now I'm supposed to be yours."

"Mine? Why?" The blue-eyed boy was clearly confused. He knew that some elders possessed the ability to create monsters – creatures – on a whim. And most of those were used as slaves or warriors but this one was a child. What could be the purpose of him? He was seriously going to have to talk to his father about this. He hated being confused.

He shrugged his shoulders, "How am I supposed to know that?"

"So what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Take me for a walk." The other said, with a grin on his face.

"Aren't you supposed to be a slave?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you giving me orders?"

"Cause I can, _Master_."

Seto blinked at the smug look on the younger one's face. "You think you're cute don't you?"

"Of course I am." The creature cocked his hip out and crossed his arms over his chest, tail swaying back and forth in lazy strides.

Seto snorted, narrowing his eyes. Such big defiance for such a little thing. And unfortunately, this _thing_ was his. Well he might as well keep it and train it well. Not many people – even ones of royal blood – had Shadow Creatures at their disposal. This could come in handy later.

"So do you even have a name, or am I supposed to call you slave from now on?"

That good-natured look and smug smile quickly vanished and replaced with one of anger. "Do that and I will make sure your life is a living nightmare," the smaller one hissed out.

Years of his father's training was the only thing that kept young Seto from taking a step back as the dragon-like creature's bright crimson eyes seem to darken until they were almost black. He could almost see the Shadow Realm swirling in their mists.

"But just so you know, my name is Atemu."

Atemu's voice was no longer full of venom but back to its teasing tone, the sudden change making Seto wonder just what kind of demented creature his father had given him.

"Alright then Atemu, my name is Seto."

**

* * *

**

"This place is big," Atemu commented in awe as Seto rapidly led him through the massive halls of the palace. Golden statues lined the corridors and a curious Atemu was eager to reach out with his small hands and touch one. Seto however was quick to react, grabbing Atemu's arm and continued to yank him down the hall.

"Don't touch anything!" Seto quietly hissed to the child-creature. Silently he cursed his father for giving him the pet. He figured that this was simply another of Gozaburo's ways to make his life miserable.

"You're hurting me!" the boy protested.

"So?" Atemu gave no reply and Seto figured things were okay until he suddenly felt a coldness seep through his lean body. Shivering he paused in his stride and looked back at Atemu whose eyes were once again a black color as the shadows were summoned. "Will you stop it? We have to hurry!"

Like before, the change in Atemu was instantaneous and Seto once again began quickly dragging him along. "Seto, what's wrong?" he asked in his innocent, child-like voice.

"There are rules involving your kind," Seto quickly explained, but he left it at that. A prince like him couldn't be caught breaking the laws, although he wouldn't be punished.

Rounding the corner, Seto was relieved to see the guard who stood in front of his royal chambers was fast asleep. Normally such an act would result in the person's death but for once Seto was glad, which spared the guard his life.

Shoving open the large, heavy doors, Seto quickly dragged the Shadow Creature inside. Finally he let go of the child's arm as he strolled over to some baskets, dropped to his knees and began pawing through the contents inside.

"What are we doing here?" Atemu complained as he stood in the middle of the room; his tail swished back and forth across the floor and he fluttered his wings out of boredom. "I told you to take me for a walk. I hardly call this a walk."

Seto rolled his eyes, keeping his back to the child; the last thing he wanted to do was upset the moody Shadow Creature again. "I told you there are rules," he simply replied as he continued as he continued searching through the baskets. Finally he found what he was looking for and pulled out the thin golden leash. Turning around he showed it to Atemu who was quick to protest.

"Oh no!"

"Shadow Creatures have to remain under the control of their master the entire time," Seto explained with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I may be your slave but I am not your pet!" Atemu argued. For the third time since they met a short time ago, the child's eyes were turning darker.

"It's the law! If you don't obey it then you can live out your days here in my room. Try to escape and I'll tell my father, who'll make sure to send you back wherever you came from."

Atemu scowled but his eyes returned to normal. With a smirk, Seto walked over and clasped the leash to the gold color around the child-creature's neck. Wrapping the end of the leash around his right hand, Seto backed away slightly and gave it a small tug. With a pout on his face, Atemu obediently walked forward.

"Good Boy!"

"Don't get used to this," Atemu dryly replied as he puffed out his chest. "One day I'm going to be the most powerful creature in the world! You should be nice to me now, so that I'll be nice to you then!"

Seto wanted to roll his eyes again, but a small part of him felt sorry for the small Shadow Creature. The child had powers the young heir only barely understood and it seemed wrong to force the boy to do his bidding.

The brunet shook his head, his dark hair falling over his ocean blue eyes; he needed to keep focused. The child was merely a tool for him to gain the power he wanted, needed. He certainly wasn't going to wait around for his father to die before seizing power but he knew that Gozaburo was a powerful foe.

Atemu continued to glare at Seto while the brunet mused over the future. Finally Seto's mind wandered back to the present. "Come on, let's go for your walk."

**

* * *

**

"Can you let me go now?" Atemu complained as he tugged on the leash. The pair was walking through an outside courtyard, which was located in the middle of the palace. Next to them a pool, filled with sparkling water, was so tempting to Seto who wanted to shove his young charge into it.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, I told you, it's the law." Seto made sure to keep a tight grasp on the leash. Atemu was behaving for the most part but with his shimmering black wings, Seto didn't trust the Shadow Creature not to fly away.

"This place sucks," Atemu quietly grumbled to himself. "You're a prince, can't you do anything?"

"Perhaps…" Seto mused; this was the moment he was waiting for. To be able to use the Shadow Creature he had to build a trust between them first. The child had an attitude problem, which Seto knew could be a problem if not corrected. "I could speak to my father…"

"Please do!" Atemu eagerly begged. The Shadow Creature began bouncing up and down on his small legs in excitement. "I'll be your friend forever if you do!"

Seto paused; he never had a friend before. There were other children around the palace, the sons and daughters of advisors but Seto never liked them. He found them snobby and preferred to spend his time alone. Having a friend would be…odd.

"Seto? Seto…?" Seto blinked and stared down at the young creature standing in front of him. "Are you okay Seto?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired," he lied. "I've been up since dawn." High above them in the sky, the sun was rapidly lowering and the first signs of darkness were beginning to appear.

"We can go back then I guess," the Shadow Creature suggested with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Until today I never even existed and I could use a break."

With a silent nod of his head, Seto turned around and began leading Atemu back to his chambers. Obediently the child followed him and not another word was shared between them until they were once again in Seto's room.

**

* * *

**

"So…do you enjoy your new Creature?"

"Yes Father," Seto automatically replied as he picked at his food. Next to him, his burly father was gorging on anything edible on the table. Also at the table were Gozaburo's five advisors, whom Seto ignored. "Although I am curious as to why you created him for me."

"Don't be a little brat and question why I do anything!" Gozaburo snarled at his son. "Your mother would be ashamed of you if she could see you now!"

Seto blinked in surprise. It wasn't the first time his father had lashed out at him but in those other times, Seto would admit his father had reasons to be mad at him. "It was just a question, that is all."

"Questions only lead to trouble."

"Funny…I thought questions led to knowledge."

With a fierce growl, Gozaburo yanked Seto's plate away from him. "Go to bed!"

Silently, Seto stood and marched out of the dining hall. With his back turned to his father, Seto rolled his eyes in annoyance. His father was in a bad mood but that was no reason to take his anger out on him; he had done nothing wrong.

"Slave!" Seto yelled out as he shoved open the heavy doors to his room, planning on taking his anger towards his father out on the Shadow Creature. Instead he found the child curled up on his side, on his bed, fast asleep.

"Just great," the young prince muttered to himself as he stalked over to the bed and began poking the child in the sides until confused crimson eyes opened. Rolling onto his back, Atemu looked up at Seto with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I was asleep you know. Normally people who are asleep wish to remain asleep."

"You got me in trouble," Seto accused, crossing his arms over his chest as Atemu sat up on the bed. "Father got mad when I asked why he created you."

Atemu blinked, now sitting cross-legged. "That's hardly a question to get upset about."

"Yes, well now I'm hungry because of you."

"Actually I'm kind of hungry too," Atemu replied ignoring the angry look Seto was giving him. "What do you have to eat around here?"

"Nothing!" Seto yelled, finally losing it. "Haven't you been paying attention? Father got mad at me and sent me to my room!"

"So?"

"That means I can't leave this room until morning!"

"Again…so?" Atemu simply replied, looking at Seto as if the prince was stupid. "Sneak out."

Seto was speechless. _He_ did not break laws, rules and commands set down by his father. "What?"

"I'll be with you of course," Atemu happily chattered, as he hopped off the bed, forcing Seto to take a step backwards or else the Shadow Creature would have hit him. "My powers will come in handy."

"Neither of us are going anywhere!" Seto protested but Atemu was already hurrying over to the door, with his leash in his hands.

"Come on it'll be fun!" Atemu replied, tying the leash to his collar and then tossing the other end to the brunet prince.

Seto would have protested further but Atemu was already shoving the door to his room open and peering outside. "There's a guard outside but he's asleep." Seto rolled his eyes, vowing to do something about the lazy guard. An assassin could sneak in and kill him with a guard who slept all the time.

The prince continued to curse the guard as Atemu led them through the hallways. It took Seto a bit to realize that a purple mist was seeping around them on the floor. "Atemu?"

"Relax that's just from a small spell so we'll appear invisible," the Shadow Creature explained. Atemu looked back over his shoulder and Seto saw his dark eyes.

"You can do that?"

The child nodded his head.

"Okay fine, but you're going the wrong way."

Seto took the lead as they turned around and hurried to the massive storage room where the food was kept. The pair, with help from Atemu's powers, easily broke into the room.

The duo hastily stuffed themselves with food; even with Atemu's powers there was no guarantee that they would not get caught. Seto knew he would be okay, but he was worried about what would happen to the little Shadow Creature. The child, although powerful, would be no match for more experienced of his kind.

"Come on let's go," Seto quietly ordered as Atemu shoved another piece of bread into his mouth. "We're going to get caught."

"You worry too much," Atemu mumbled as he gulped down the rest of the food. The stale bread was a nasty mush against the back of his throat but the Shadow Creature didn't care.

Tugging on the leash, Seto dragged Atemu out of the storage room. Automatically Atemu summoned his shadow powers again and they stealthily made their way back to Seto's room, where the young brunet immediately ushered the young creature back inside.

"We took too long," Seto hissed at the small Shadow Creature, scolding him. "For such a small thing, you certainly ate a lot."

"I couldn't help it!" Atemu protested as he quickly untied the leash attached to his golden collar. "I never ate food before. I wanted to try everything!"

"We would have gotten caught!"

"No we wouldn't have. My powers protected us."

"And if we came across a stronger Shadow Creature?" Seto stressed as he glared at the brash Shadow Creature who had begun happily hopping around the room. "My father does employ more of your kind as guards for around here. It's highly possible that one could have found us."

"Have faith in my powers!" Atemu boasted.

Seto rolled his eyes as he began pulling off most of his white and blue robes, until he only wore a kilt, similar to the one Atemu had on. Trying his best to ignore the hyper Shadow Creature, Seto crawled under the covers of his bed and laid his head down upon his pillow. Closing his eyes, Seto attempted to go to sleep when he felt the rustling of blankets behind him. Rolling over, the young prince's ocean blue eyes were met with Atemu's crimson ones.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to sleep," Atemu simply replied. With a tired yawn, the Shadow Creature closed his eyes.

"Not in my bed!" Seto protested. He tried shoving the child-creature out of his bed but was unsuccessful moving the dead weight.

"If not here, where am I supposed to sleep?" Atemu inquired, keeping his eyes shut and snuggling closer to Seto's warm body."

"The floor?"

"Try again."

Seto scowled but allowed the young Shadow Creature to remain by his side. Tomorrow he would find a way to teach the child that he was the boss. Then he could start teaching Atemu how to be an obedient servant.


	2. No More Games

**A/N -** Here ya go, Dragon.

As always thank you Dukie.

* * *

"Can you fly?"

"I dunno…why?"

"Flying would be cool."

Seto and Atemu were seated at the edge of a fountain in the courtyard which the majestic palace surrounded; the tips of Atemu's small bronze fingers dipped into the fountain and he wondered if he was allowed to swimming in the water; the hot sun was beating down on them and Atemu desperately wanted to cool off.

"Maybe I can," Atemu insisted. Hopping off the fountain edge, the young Shadow Creature began fluttering his wings with little reaction.

"That's pretty pathetic."

Atemu glared at the prince with his tiny crimson eyes but he kept the shadows at bay. Whether he wanted to admit it or not the prince was starting to grow on him even though they'd only been together for a few days. "I'm trying my best."

"My father says that simply trying will only lead to failure."

Yami crossed his arms over his small chest. "Hmph. I don't like your father."

"Don't talk like that," Seto hissed, darting his head around to see if anyone had overheard the young Shadow Creature but fortunately they were completely alone. "My father created you, you should be grateful."

"The only thing I'm grateful for is the fact he gave me to you. I refuse to be the slave of any other man." Atemu scowled and spat the word 'slave' and Seto felt a ping of sorrow for the child. Atemu would spend his entire live serving the royal family, expected to follow the commands of Seto's heirs; only in death would Atemu be free.

"You should continue with your practicing."

With a nod of his head, Atemu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Violently the Shadow Creature began flapping his tiny wings but again nothing happened. With a sigh, Atemu halted his wings and opened his eyes.

"One day, I'll fly," he vowed.

**

* * *

**

Seto and Atemu quickly fell into a steady routine. In the morning Seto would take Atemu for a walk; in the afternoon the prince made his pet show off his shadow skills as Seto was eager to learn the types of powers Atemu possessed; at night, after eating with his father, Seto would return to his room where Atemu waited for him. Atemu would then eat whatever Seto snuck to him from that night's meal. Although Atemu would always beg to raid the storage room again, Seto would refuse. Barbarians were invading the land from the west again so Gozaburo now had an army of Shadow Guards roaming the palace after dark looking for spies; the child could easily evade humans but he was no match for more powerful and experienced of his own kind.

When Atemu was finished with his food, it was bath time. Stripping both himself and Atemu naked, Seto would lead the Shadow Creature to the adjoining room, which was used for bathing. Preferring to handle the duties himself, instead of using attendants, it was Seto's job to make sure that both he and the child were clean.

Currently it was bath time.

"Sit still!" Seto commanded as Atemu squirmed away from the cloth the young prince held; the child loved the water and would rather play instead of washing.

"Have some fun for once!" Atemu playfully laughed as he flicked water at Seto with his tail causing an angry Seto to brush soggy brunet hair out of his eyes.

"I just want to get cleaned up so I can go to bed," the prince complained. "Since I'm the one who has to wake up early in the morning to walk you."

"I'll be awake too!" Atemu replied with a roll of his eyes. Turning around to face Seto, the Shadow Creature splashed him again.

"Just leave me alone," Seto grumbled. Scooting over to the side furthest away form Atemu, Seto began running a damp cloth over his body.

"You can be such a bore Seto." Atemu began swimming around the small pool using his tail to propel himself. "The life is just sucking out of you."

"I have to live up to expectations," Seto replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Pausing his paddling around, Atemu swam over to Seto and wrapped an arm around the prince's shoulders. "Around me, be yourself."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your friend."

Seto grew quiet for a few minutes thinking over what Atemu had said. "I never had a friend before."

"Well you now have me," Atemu replied with a huge grin on his face.

The pair finished up their bath, after Atemu decided to obey Seto's commands to be washed. Afterwards the child scurried back into the main room and began bouncing on Seto's bed.

"Do you mind?" Seto complained as he tossed a kilt to the naked child, the white kilt landing on top of Atemu's head, covering his face.

"Hey!" Atemu protested, yanking the kilt off his head.

"Atemu, I want to go to sleep."

"But I want to go out!"

"You know we can't do that."

"Why not? I'm strong enough to hide form other Creatures!"

"Atemu just go to sleep," Seto commanded with a tired yawn; taking care of a pet was harder than he realized. Crawling under the covers, Seto rested his head against his pillow, closed his eyes and hoped the child got the hint to go to sleep.

Sure enough, Atemu stopped bouncing around, put on the kilt and was soon snuggling against Seto's warm body.

"Good night Seto."

"Night Atemu."

**

* * *

**

"I hate this stupid thing," Atemu grumbled as his fingers toyed with the golden leash.

Atemu had wanted to explore so Seto had agreed to take the Shadow Creature outside the palace for their daily walk. Currently they were sitting on the sandy ground next to a massive river.

"I don't make the laws."

"But you will!"

"Not for many more years though."

A look of huge disappointment crossed Atemu's face. "Oh."

With a sigh Seto found himself looking around trying to see if they were alone. Finding no one around, Seto reach over and undid the leash. "Stay close," he warned. "No one can catch us."

"Seto thank you!" Atemu cried, flinging his arms around Seto's neck.

"It can only be for a few minute. Someone will be coming along soon."

"Then let's get further away from here!" Jumping to his feet, Atemu grabbed Seto's hands and pulled him up as well. Together they began running along the river, away from the palace, with Seto being dragged behind a giggling Atemu.

Seto stumbled and the pair fell to the ground.

"Atemu!" Seto yelled at the laughing child. "Have you gone mad? You can't do that!"

"I can do anything I want!" Atemu boldly claimed. "I'm the greatest Creature ever to live! For centuries people will talk of my powers! Hahahaha!"

"Talk about a power trip," Seto grumbled as he kneeled next to his slave, who was still spread out on the ground next to him. Atemu's tail was stretched out in the sand, swaying back and forth over the dirt in content.

"It's not a power trip," Atemu argued as he rolled his eyes. "I'll only use my powers the way you tell me, Silly."

"Don't call me Silly."

"But you are silly!"

"I am not!"

"Silly Seto!" Atemu laughed.

"Annoying Atemu!"

"I'm not annoying…Silly."

Seto rolled his yes, refusing to get in an argument with the child. "We still shouldn't have run away. Someone could have seen us; there are spies everywhere you know, especially with the war."

"The war is a 10 day journey from here and besides I made sure to make us appear invisible. You need to stop worrying about minor things, Silly Seto."

"And you need to take things seriously Annoying Atemu. Instead of playing around you should be practicing."

"Why do you care?" Atemu asked, sitting up. "A prince young as yourself won't need me to fight for a long time."

"Because my father gave you to me for a reason and I plan on taking advantage of that reason."

Atemu stared at the brunet and shook his head in disbelief. "Seto…"

"Please just do what you're told," Seto softly commanded as he hung his head. He was ashamed he needed Atemu's help and power.

Atemu nodded his head and his eyes grew dark as the shadows were summoned; summoning the shadows was the easy part, controlling them was much harder. The purple-black mist turned into an enormous hand, which reached out towards the prince.

"Atemu."

The purple-black hand turned towards the river, morphing into a bridge in the process. The prince looked back at Atemu for a brief moment and saw the child was in deep concentration. Seto stood and placed a cautious foot on the bride created by Atemu. Finding the bridge sturdy, Seto began walking across it, satisfied with the child's work. Walking half way across the shadow bridge, Seto turned to look back at Atemu with a huge grin on his face; Atemu's powers were improving.

Suddenly Atemu's concentration broke and the bridge vanished from underneath Seto plunging the prince into the cool water.

"Seto!"

Rushing forward, Atemu jumped into the deep river just as a brunet head surfaced. Atemu swam over to Seto and treaded water next to him.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"It's okay," Seto replied with a sigh. It figured his father would give him such a weak Creature. "Come on we should get back to the palace before someone realizes we're gone."

Atemu silently nodded his head and they began swimming towards the shore.

"I'm really sorry Seto, I'll get it right next time," the Shadow Creature said once they had climbed out of the river.

"Don't worry about it Annoying Atemu," Seto told him as he reattached the leash to the gold collar around Atemu's neck. With a small tug he began leading the child back to the palace. "You're just a kid after all."

"Shut up Silly Seto," Atemu teased with a small grin on his face. He was determined to get it right next time and make the young prince proud.

**

* * *

**

"Look at this Seto!" Atemu cried as he hopped off the bed and hurried towards Seto with a small rock in his hand. "See! I was bored while you were at dinner and drew a dragon on this rock I found earlier today." Atemu held up the flat, white rock, which was in the shape of a heart, so that Seto could see the dragon the Shadow Creature, drawn on it. "It's my good luck charm now!"

"Umm…okay," Seto lamely replied as he handed Atemu the food he had stolen that night.

Grabbing the cloth, which was wrapped around the food, Atemu hurried back to the bed with his prize. "Yum…thanks Seto!"

"You know if you'd just go eat with the other slaves you wouldn't be so hungry all the time."

"I'm not like them," Atemu grumbled in between bites of bread as Seto walked over and sat next to him.

"I'm just saying you'd be less hungry if you ate with them." As Seto spoke he fingered the heart shaped rock that was lying on the bed next to the Shadow Creature. "This is pretty cool."

Atemu had used some blue paint, which he either found in the room or stole from elsewhere while Seto had been eating, and drew an outline of a fierce dragon on the creamy white stone. "Why a dragon?"

"Because I rule over _all_ the dragons!"

"But I rule over you so shouldn't this item belong to me?" Seto's thumb ran over the dragon; the rock was much nicer than he originally thought.

Atemu paused in mid chew, staring at the brunet prince. "It's mine!" he finally declared, snatching back his treasure.

"Give it to me!"

"No!"

Seto lunged at the child, landing on top of the Shadow Creature as Atemu's back fell against the bed. Frantically the young prince tried to grab the stone. "Give it back! I own you, so I own it!"

The shadows began forming around them as Atemu's eyes grew dark but Seto paid no attention to what was happening in the room.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's the only thing I own!"

Seto stopped struggling, climbed off Atemu and kneeled next to where the Shadow Creature laid. "What?"

"It's the only thing I own," Atemu replied as he sat up and crossed his legs; the shadows remained but they were merely lingering around the floor. The Shadow Creature hung his head in shame as he continued to talk. "We both know that I'm a slave even though I hate that word. This dumb rock is the only thing I'll ever own in my life."

"Atemu…"

A tear fell down the child's cheek. "If you want it, you can have it. I'm required to serve you and follow any command you give me."

The rock lay in Atemu's palm as he held his hand towards the young prince. Staring at the rock, Seto wrapped Atemu's finger around the stone. "Keep it."

A huge smile broke out across Atemu's face. "Thank you Seto!" he cried, wrapping his arms around Seto's neck. "I'll never forget this!"

"Don't worry about it." Cautiously, Seto hugged the Shadow Creature back.

**

* * *

**

By the end of the second week, Seto was allowing Atemu off the leash more and more, taking the risks. They would go far down the river where Atemu was allowed to run free for a bit before he began his practice.

For days they did this without incident. Then one night, when they were returning to Seto's room right before sunset, they were greeted by Gozaburo, who was standing in the middle of the young prince's room.

"You little brat!" he snarled, grabbing Seto's brunet hair and yanking it. "You think I don't know what you've been up to? The sneaking of food, allowing your pet off leash!" With one hand, Seto was thrown against the wall where he crumbled to the floor.

"My pathetic, weak son," he spat as he swiftly kicked his son in the ribs.

"Leave him alone!" Atemu screamed, the shadows filling the room.

"Stupid child," Gozaburo hollered. "Some gift from the Gods you turned out to be! They said you would vanquish all enemies if I gave you to that pathetic thing lying on the floor."

From the corner, out crept another of Gozaburo's creations, a two-headed bull. The bull shook its two heads, snorted and pawed at the ground with one of his front hooves.

"I'm not weak!" Atemu yelled. Ignoring the two-headed bull he rushed forward towards Gozaburo, sank to the ground and bit Seto's father on the leg to make him stop kicking the brunet.

"Atemu watch out," Seto managed to gasp as he raised himself up on his hands and knees.

Easily Gozaburo kicked Atemu away; the Shadow Creature tumbled across the floor, stopping a few feet away from the bull. Dazed, Atemu could no longer keep the shadows in the room and they began to fade away.

"Weak like my son!"

"Leave him alone," Seto commanded as he staggered to his feet. His left arm was wrapped around his body, trying to ease his aching ribs.

A heavy hand shot out from Gozaburo, smacking Seto across the face. The young prince tasted blood in his mouth from where he accidentally bit down on his tongue when his father hit him.

"Shut up boy!"

The shadows returned but this time being summoned by the bull that loyally served the ruler of the land. A wave of purple-black mist hit Seto in the chest knocking him to the ground again.

"Stop it!" Atemu yelled from where he was struggling to stand. The shadow wave turned towards the child, whose eyes suddenly turned dark. A wall of shadows sprung forward, blocking the blow, but the two-headed bull was a much stronger Shadow Creature than the winged child and it wasn't long before the shadow wall shattered in pieces.

"Pathetic brat," Gozaburo taunted as he lifted Seto up by the front of royal robes and smashed the back of his son's head against the wall.

The last thing Seto remember before falling unconscious was Atemu crying out his name.

**

* * *

**

Atemu sniffed and wiped at his eyes before tears could fall down his cheeks. Standing next to Seto's bed he stared down at the bruised, unconscious form of his Master.

After Seto had blacked out, the other Shadow Creature had hit the child a few more times before both Gozaburo and the two-headed bull decided to leave. It was then that Atemu had struggled to get Seto's beaten body to the bed and tend to the prince's wounds as best he could.

"I'm sorry Seto," he finally whispered. "I tried to protect you but I couldn't."

In his hands, Atemu toyed with his special stone before placing it down on the bed next to Seto.

"I promise, I'll become the strongest Shadow Creature that ever existed. I'll never fail you again."

Atemu's eyes grew dark as the shadows completely surrounded him. When the purple black mist faded from the room, Atemu was gone.


	3. The Child of the Gods

**A/N -** Things finally start getting good in this fic.

* * *

A cloaked figure hurried through the massive temple before spies discovered him. Reaching the altar at the back of the temple, the cloaked man slid behind a large statue of a god and shoved open a secret door, which revealed a staircase.

The man hurried down the stairs, not needing a light to find his way; he had memorized the way long ago when the rebellion had started.

"Did anyone see you?" said a young woman, a priest, as soon as he reached the bare, secret chamber, lit only by torches along the walls.

"No; my father has no idea I'm involved." Slim bronze hands came up and threw back the hood of the cloak to reveal brunet hair and piercing cobalt eyes. "My father's reign of terror will soon be over."

"The gods will be pleased, Highness."

"He deserves what he gets for allowing the Shadow Creatures to get out of control."

There was only one person Prince Seto hated in the world and that was his father, Gozaburo. For as long as the young prince could remember his father would beat him, yelling obscenities about how he was responsible for allowing the Child of the Gods to escape.

While growing up, Seto had no clue what his father meant. Then, one day a year ago, Seto had heard the prophecy from the young priest who stood in front of him. It was said that a Shadow Creature known as the Child of the Gods would come forth with enormous powers; however only the one destined could control the Child of the Gods and together they would bring peace to the land.

"We must be careful," the young priest warned. "Gozaburo now has complete control over the Shadow Creatures."

Long ago a powerful person could create the creatures that served the shadows but Gozaburo had made sure that anyone with the ability had either joined him or was killed. Now Seto and the female priest would secretly meet at night to try and tap into the power that the young prince had hidden deep inside him; only with that power could their rebellion succeed in overthrowing the tyrant.

"Isis, I know. No one knows my father better than me."

"Just be careful," Isis repeated. "Gozaburo has eyes everywhere and we have a long hard fight ahead of us. Do not get cocky."

The young prince threw the pretty priest a sly smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

**

* * *

**

"Where were you?"

"Taking a walk Father," Seto replied with a roll of his eyes. The young prince had been coming back from another secret meeting with Isis, discarding his brown cloak in a hidden spot at the entrance to the palace and now once again wore normal white and blue royal robes.

"This late at night?"

"It's peaceful this late," the brunet prince grumbled as he strolled past his larger father.

"Seto…"

"I'm not a child anymore Father!" Seto snapped, turning to look back at the elder man. For a moment he forgot the power his father held but quickly remembered as next to Gozaburo a dark sphere began to form as a monster was called forth.

"I am the ruler Boy!"

"Of course," Seto replied, backing down and lowering his head. The sphere disappeared and both father and son were left alone once again. "You've repeatedly reminded me of that fact while growing up."

"Hmph. Don't ever forget it Boy," Gozaburo snarled as he strolled off and Seto hurried to his bedroom, his only sanctuary in the enormous palace.

In frustration Seto punched the wall with his fist. His father would get what was coming to him; the motions were already in place for Gozaburo to come crashing down.

**

* * *

**

"Try harder," Isis insisted as she circled Seto's motionless body. "To fight we need Shadow Creatures and you're the only one among our ranks who has the ability to create them."

Seto's blue eyes were closed, his mind lost in concentration as he tried forming a creature with his mind. As a child, Seto should have received training in creating Shadow Creatures but his father had refused to teach his son. Seto knew it had something to do with an incident that happened over 10 years ago but he had long forgotten what it was about. Sometimes in his dreams, though, he would see images of spiky tri-colored hair, but he didn't know what it meant.

"My patience is growing thin," the brunet prince grumbled. He was tired of these sessions with little results. Plus he feared his father was beginning to suspect he was up to something.

"Don't speak."

"Why don't you do it Miss Perfect?" Cobalt eyes snapped open to glare at the priest.

"Let's end this for tonight," Isis replied with a small sigh, always knowing when the prince had enough. Their time was limited anyway; if they stayed away too long someone would grow suspicious.

"Fine," Seto agreed as he picked up his cloak off the floor, where he had dropped it when he arrived, and put it back on, covering his royal robes. He hated the peasant garment but it was necessary to remain safe. "You know the rules." As part of their plan the two agreed never to be seen together, arriving and leaving hours apart when they were to meet.

"You don't have to remind me, Highness."

Seto stormed up the stairs, frustrated that things were progressing so slowly. They needed to take his father by surprise; the longer they waited the more chance they had of getting caught.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?" an inhumane voice hissed. Sharply turning his head, Seto discovered a humanoid snake-like creature; although the creature walked upright like a man, the rest of his body was a slimy snake. Next to the snake-man was one of Gozaburo's most loyal creatures, the two-headed bull. "Our master was right. Wait long enough and we were bound to find his no-good son up to trouble."

The bull snorted and swung both heads as a reply, while Seto glared at the two Shadow Creatures.

"Get lost both of you!" the prince ordered. Things were bad, very bad; the Shadow Creatures knew who he was which meant his father knew something was up.

"We don't have to obey you; only our master."

Coldness ran throughout the courtyard, which shot straight through to Seto's bones. In the dim moonlight the prince could see the mist of the shadows forming around his ankles.

"You don't scare me!" Seto boldly spat. He would never admit fear to his father's servants.

"Check the temple; see if anyone is left inside," the humanoid snake ordered the bull. "I'll take care of this one."

Cobalt eyes widen in alarm; the hidden stairway would not deter a powerful Shadow Creature for long. Isis was now in danger from him being so careless.

Defenseless, Seto tore off his cloak and threw it at the humanoid snake, momentarily distracting the two Shadow Creatures. Quickly the prince darted off, trying to draw the two monsters away from the temple where Isis was hidden.

"Get him!" the humanoid snake hissed as he struggled to become untangled from the cloak.

Seto ran fast, but the silk royal robes he wore, which whipped around his long legs as he ran, slowed his movement. He needed a plan.

Behind the young prince, the two Shadow Creatures were gaining; easily they were able to run faster than Seto thanks to their powers.

Running over the hard dirt ground, Seto was caught off guard when a shadow wall sprung up in front of him. Before he could change directions, the heavy weight of the humanoid snake fell against his back, knocking him to the ground.

Rolling to his side, Seto elbowed the Shadow Creature to get the snake-man off of him. Once free, Seto scrambled to his feet only to be knocked flat to his back by the two-headed bull.

"Weakling," the snake creature spat as both Shadow Creatures loomed over Seto. Above them a crack of lightning shot across the sky and there was a loud booming from thunder. "The gods will be happy that they'll have a human sacrifice tonight."

"Beg and I may kill you quickly," Seto growled. Although he was defeated he would never give up his pride.

A shadowy sword formed in the humanoid snake's hand and he raised it above his head. "Goodbye Prince Seto."

Wind whipped across the land and another crack of lighting lit up the sky when suddenly a black sphere appeared in the sky; it was a portal to the shadows.

"This is bad," the snake-man hissed, sensing the intense power coming from the sphere. The sphere slowly faded away revealing a new Shadow Creature.

The new creature looked mostly like a human male except for the dragon tail and wings protruding from his back. He only wore a simple, white kilt and he had spiky tri-colored hair on his head. His eyes were closed as he slowly glided to the ground thanks to his impressive wings.

Sandaled feet lightly touched down a foot from Seto's head, forcing the prince to tilt his head back to look upside down at the creature; dimly Seto was aware that the other two Shadow Creatures had begun to slowly back away.

As Seto helplessly watched, the new Shadow Creature slowly opened his eyes causing the brunet prince to gasp; his eyes were pitch black, the shadows swirling in them.

"You tried to harm my master," he accused the two Shadow Creatures, his voice full of bitter anger. "For that you will pay."

The two-headed bull and snake-man tried running but they weren't quick enough for the new Shadow Creature who quickly extended his right arm with his palm facing the retreating monsters.

A wave of shadow energy, much stronger than Seto had ever felt before, shot out from the creature's palm, blasting apart his two fellow Shadow Creatures, vaporizing them so that nothing was left of their bodies.

In awe, Seto watched as the Shadow Creature's black eyes turned into a bright crimson color. "Who are you?" he demanded to know as he sat up. "Obliviously you're not one of my father's creations."

For a brief moment Seto wondered if he had created the Shadow Creature out of desperation but he quickly realized that was impossible from the power raging from the half human-half dragon creature.

"How forgetful you are," the creature said with amusement as he took a step forward and extended his hand downward to help Seto to his feet. Once they were both standing, Seto realized he towered over the petite creature and noticed that there was a gold collar around his neck. "It's only been 11 years; I'm Atemu…remember?"

The name sounded familiar to Seto but he couldn't think of where he had heard it before. But due to his father's regular beatings his memory would occasionally go fuzzy. "I'm sorry…who?"

A smirk crossed Atemu's faced as he extended his wings. "I learned how to fly."

Memories from Seto's childhood came flooding back to him. He remembered now. When he was young his father had given him a child with wings. They had become friends but his father caught him treating the child as something other than a slave and they both had been punished; in the morning Atemu was gone and Seto thought he had imagined the entire thing.

"I thought you were a dream."

"I'm sure your father wanted that. He didn't like me very much."

"What happened?"

"Not here. Is there somewhere safer where we could talk?"

Seto silently nodded his brunet head and led Atemu back to the temple where he and Isis normally met. The place was no longer a secret but it would still be safe for the moment until Gozaburo realized that two of his monsters were dead.

Fortunately when the got down to the hidden room, Isis had already left. "So talk."

"I didn't want to leave but I had to."

Seto narrowed his blue eyes at the Shadow Creature and crossed his arms over his chest. "You could have protected me all these years from my father."

"No I couldn't have," Atemu replied with a small shake of his head. "My powers were too weak. I left to train."

"You could have trained here." Seto turned his back; he was displeased that his only protection had left him alone for so long to fend for himself.

"Not as well as I could in the shadows," Atemu argued. "Not only have my powers increased but I have learned things as well; things I didn't know before. Why do you think your father gave you such a powerful Shadow Creature?"

"You weren't powerful," Seto grumbled glancing over his back to look at the Shadow Creature before looking away again. "You couldn't even protect me."

The ceiling of the room was high so Atemu flapped his wings, flew upwards and landed in front of Seto; he wanted to talk face to face. "I was a child then; you saw what I can do now."

"You were impressive," Seto reluctantly grunted. "You blew those monsters away as if they were pebbles."

"They were afraid of me; just as any other creation of Gozaburo will be afraid."

"Alright I'm intrigued; why did my father create you for me?"

"The gods."

"What do they have to do with this?"

Crimson eyes rolled, frustrated that this was taking much longer than he expected. "They told him to create me and give me to you. They said it would bring peace to the land."

"The prophecy," Seto quietly murmured and Atemu arched an eyebrow.

"Prophecy?"

"Something I heard from a priest; about a Shadow Creature called the Child of the Gods."

"Obviously that is me," Atemu boasted with a smirk upon his face.

"Egotistical as always I see. You certainly haven't changed a lot in the last 11 years. Pity you haven't grown taller since then."

Atemu narrowed his eyes at the brunet prince but they remained crimson instead of turning to the black color they became when he was calling upon his shadow powers. "It's late; get some sleep."

"What? Here?"

"Yes. It's too dangerous for you to return to the palace now. Tomorrow I'll take care of your father and his other Shadow Creatures."

"That's it?"

In the corner of the room mist appeared and when it was gone a pile of blankets and pillows laid on the floor. "Yes. Get some sleep."

"What about Isis? She could be in trouble if my father knows about her."

"Casualty of war. Get some sleep."

"You're still annoying do you know that?"

"I'm trying to keep you alive."

The two young men glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. "We find Isis first and make sure she's okay. Then we'll come back here and I'll do what you say."

Knowing that was the best deal he could get out of the stubborn prince, Atemu agreed. "Fine."

**

* * *

**

"Isis!" Seto yelled, running into the small home she owned. He had no fear of alerting any soldiers passing outside as Atemu was using his powers to cloak their presence in the home.

"Highness?" the young priest question, walking out from another room. Her normal headdress was removed revealing long raven hair and her blue eyes were wide with alarm. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here; we'll get caught!"

"I was attacked tonight by two of father's monsters. Did anyone try and harm you?"

"No."

"Good."

"I placed a protection barrier around this place," Atemu announced, joining them in the room. "No one will be able to get in now."

"What is that?" Isis inquired, nodding her head towards the Shadow Creature.

"What is that?" the dragon-like creature repeated with annoyance in his voice. "My name is Atemu and I'm not some object."

"A friend," Seto quickly told her. "I think he has something to do with the prophecy."

"Amazing! I didn't think the legends were true!"

"We should get going," Atemu said, turning his attention back to the prince. "I completed my end of the bargain."

"Meet me in the temple tomorrow," Seto quickly ordered Isis as the short Shadow Creature grabbed his wrist and began pulling him towards the exit. "I'll explain everything."

Once outside, Atemu immediately put up the invisibility shields he used as a child to steal food, so that they could walk back to the temple in safety. "Satisfied that she is safe?"

"Drop the attitude problem. She can be annoying but she's the closest thing I've had to a friend since _someone _abandoned me."

Seto stormed off ahead while Atemu fell back and watched the angry prince. "I didn't want to do it," he whispered at Seto's retreating form before quickly catching up once again.

**

* * *

**

"Are you just going to stand there all night?"

After returning to the secret room in the temple, Seto had settled down on the blankets Atemu had provided while the Shadow Creature placed another protection barrier around the place. The winged creature than took up guard, standing at the base of the stairs.

"What else is there for me to do?" Atemu asked looking over his shoulder at where Seto was laying. "You're supposed to be sleeping by the way."

"You need rest too."

"I'm not a child anymore nor am I a human. My body functions differently from yours. I'm fine without sleep."

Seto narrowed his cobalt eyes. "I bet that crap works on a lot of people but not me. The war starts tomorrow and even you need some sleep."

With a tired sigh, Atemu walked over to the makeshift bed and lay down next to the prince, his wings and tail disappearing in the process. "Another trick I learned," he explained seeing the look Seto was giving him. "It's easier sleeping this way."

"Hn." Wrapping an arm around Atemu's half-naked body, a jolt shot straight through Seto. He had to admit that the Shadow Creature was extremely sexy.

"Is something wrong?" Atemu asked shifting closer to the prince; their faces were inches apart as they stared into each other's eyes.

"No."

"Remember when we slept like this as children? Those were fun times."

"You hogged the covers."

A small smile appeared on Atemu's face. "Bath time was fun too."

Seto wasn't sure who made the first move. All he was aware of was his lips being pressed up against Atemu's as they shared a sweet kiss.

* * *

**A/N - **I really wasn't going to put in the ability for Atemu to get rid of his wings and tail but I figured they would be uncomfortable when he'll be on his back all the time (Miko will get that comment since she's the perviest of the pervs). Afterwards I realized that I could just have Atemu riding Seto all the time but alas it was too late and that's why I'm only the #2 perv. 


	4. End of an Era

**A/N - **Much apologizes. This should have been updated long ago but life ended up getting in the way. It won't be as long until the next update.

* * *

"Wake up," came a commanding but gentle voice, and Seto blinked open his cobalt eyes to look up at the smiling face of Atemu. Once again the Shadow Creature had his wings and tail. "It's dawn; the battle will start soon." 

"What will happen then?" Seto asked. As he sat up, the blankets fell away from his nude body.

"You will stay here in safety while I go take care of your father."

"No!" Seto protested. "I want to help!"

"It's too dangerous," Atemu argued with a shake of his head. "My duty is to keep you safe."

"I'm not some weakling who needs protection!"

Leaning forward, Atemu hastily kissed Seto's lips. "You can't die!"

"Neither can you!"

"Seto…"

"I'm helping and that's final!"

The prince and the Shadow Creature glared at each other until finally Atemu relented. "Do as you wish. You know I have to follow your orders."

"That's better."

Atemu stood and fluttered his wings while he waited for the brunet prince to get dressed. He watched with lustful intentions as Seto donned his silk robes. He would do everything in his power to protect the young prince, and it wasn't from a sense of duty; there was a fire that burned in the pit of his stomach that started a long time ago when Seto had shown him compassion. Throughout his self-exile it was these feelings for the prince that pressed the Shadow Creature to hone his power until he was an unstoppable force.

"What's on your mind?" Seto inquired as he attached his cape around his neck.

"Nothing."

"Then we should get going."

"As you wish."

The shadows began seeping into the room, lowering the barrier Atemu had constructed the night before.

"Wait here until I check the area to make sure that it's safe."

For once, Seto agreed to do what the Shadow Creature told him. Impatiently he tapped his foot as he waited for Atemu to return.

Finally, Seto heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later Isis entered the room, followed by Atemu.

"I found this one snooping around outside."

"Highness, what is going on?" Isis demanded to know. "You owe me an explanation!"

"He's the one known as the Child of the Gods," Seto explained, nodding his head towards Atemu. "He's a friend of mine from when we were children."

Isis turned around and stared at the Shadow Creature in shock. "Impossible."

"Isis, my father will die today," Seto darkly told her. "Atemu is the way that we'll do it."

"But you said he was a childhood friend and he's powerful; if that's the case, he would have had to been created by Gozaburo himself!"

"That is true," Atemu admitted with a small shrug. "Gozaburo did create me."

"But…"

"We can trust him," Seto interjected. "I trust him."

Isis nodded her head in satisfaction. She still was unwilling to trust the Shadow Creature but she believed in her prince; the young brunet was the only chance they had in creating a peaceful world free of the wrath of Gozaburo.

"You're definitely staying here," Atemu commended to the young priest.

"What? But-"

"Do what he says Isis. You're involvement is still unknown. If we fail, you can still carry on with the resistance until my father falls."

Isis lowered her head in a slight bow, unhappy but willing to follow Seto's commands. "Very well."

"We should get going," Atemu said, turning his attention to the brunet prince. "We've already wasted valuable time."

With a nod of his head Seto began following the Shadow Creature out of the temple. Halfway up the long stairway, however, Seto stopped, sensing that there was something wrong. "You're mad at me."

Atemu sighed as he turned around to face the young prince. "I already told you, I don't want you to die."

The Shadow Creature was standing on a higher level on the stairs, making them the same height, so Seto reached out and cupped Atemu's face with his hands. "That won't happen. I promise you."

"I can't help but have this feeling of dread," Atemu quietly murmured. "Please just let me handle this while you stay with your friend."

"And who's going to look after you if I do that?"

"I'm a Shadow Creature. I don't need protection."

"Yeah you do."

Atemu gave another small sigh. They were wasting precious time. "Seto…can we not talk about his now? We need to hurry."

"Alright."

The duo continued their way up the stairs and out of the temple, both lost in their own thoughts, both concerned for the other's well being.

"Stay back," the Shadow Creature warned as they walked out into the early morning sun. "I can sense others of my kind nearby."

Seto darted his head around. "Where?"

"Their presence is coming from near the palace."

"That's where my father will be."

"Then that is where we'll go."

The pair walked at a cautious pace. They were walking into the unknown to face their destinies. If they failed they would receive a long painful death but if they succeeded they would bring peace and prosperity to the land.

"I see one!" Atemu whispered as he shoved Seto behind a decorative column.

"Atemu!"

"Stay here!" he hissed. The female humanoid Shadow Creature with feathery wings protruding from her back was the sole person guarding the entranceway. She hadn't noticed them yet and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He could sense, but couldn't see other creatures in he area and knew he had to proceed carefully to avoid any traps.

Rushing forward to gain the momentum of surprise, Atemu swiped at the air with his hand. Shadows formed over the female creature, cutting her neatly in half.

"He fell for it! Get him!"

Flapping his wings, Atemu shot up in the air as six Shadow Creatures tried to jump him. Hovering high above the assorted group of creatures, Atemu formed three-dozen small shadow fireballs with his hands and blasted them downwards at the group, killing them instantaneously.

Gliding back to the ground, Atemu called out to Seto that the area was safe. Outside the palace there were no further traces of Shadow Creature presence.

"Impressive," Seto said, coming out if his hiding spot and strolling forward. "The fools never saw what hit them."

"Will you believe me now that I don't need help?"

"Don't get cocky, that was only the beginning."

"I realize that," Atemu replied with a smug look on his face. The battle excited him; he loved the incredible powerful feeling, knowing that he held the lives of others in the palm of his hand.

Slipping through the doorway, Atemu and Seto made their way through the palace; Atemu had memorized the entire place long ago when he would sneak out of Seto's room during the middle of night and when the young prince was away dining.

The place was devoid of humans and Shadow Creatures, which put both men on guard. Their presence was known and it would only be a matter of time before their enemies revealed themselves.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the massive corridors as they gradually made their way towards the throne room. They were on guard the entire time, not knowing when and where the attack was going to come from.

"Do you sense anything?"

"Yes," Atemu gravely replied. "They're all gathering in one area."

The two men were not bothered as they continued making their way through the palace. It seemed as if Seto's father knew enough to try to overpower them with sheer force instead of trying to capture them in another lame trap.

"Here," Atemu commanded, shoving open the heavy door to the armory. Grabbing a khopesh sword he handed it to Seto. "You know how to fight, correct?"

"Yes," the prince replied with a nod of his head.

"Good. Keep it close to you."

After a series of long, twisting corridors, they finally came to the open throne room where monsters that Gozaburo had created were gathered from wall to wall. In the center of the room was Seto's father with a menacing look on his face.

As they continued forward on their way the crowd of Shadow Monsters parted, allowing Seto and Atemu to walk side by side as they approached the ruler of the land. In his hand Seto gripped his weapon, wanting to use it but knowing he had to wait until the right moment.

"_Father_," the brunet prince spat once he and Atemu came to a stop before Gozaburo.

"You bastard!" A loud smack was heard as Gozaburo slapped his son across the face, forcing Seto to his knees. "Did you really think I wouldn't discover your treachery?"

Seto glared at his father as he stood again but he remained quiet. Tighter his hand gripped on the khopesh, ready to use it when Atemu gave the command.

"And _you_!" Gozaburo spat as he turned his attention to Atemu. "I'd never thought I'd see you again, you worthless fool. Why the Gods insisted that I create you and give you to my pathetic son, I'll never know."

"You underestimate both of us," the Shadow Creature calmly replied, giving Gozaburo a dark look. "You will not survive to see the end of the day."

"Fools!" the man replied with an evil laugh. "No one can defeat me!"

_-Now!-_ Seto heard Atemu's cry inside his mind.

While his father was busy continuing to laugh, Seto slashed at his chest with the khopesh. Blood dripped down Gozaburo's robes as the man toppled backwards, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"Get them!" one of the Shadow Creatures yelled.

Grabbing Seto, Atemu flew up into the air, the high ceiling making it easy to get away from the various shadow attacks being thrown at them.

Easily maneuvering through the air, even with the added weight of Seto, Atemu flew over to a high balcony and deposited him on it.

"Stay here!" the Shadow Creature commanded, shoving the brunet prince to the ground so that any attacks couldn't hit him as easily. Flying into the air again, Atemu darted around the room, throwing shadow fireballs whenever he saw an opening.

With a growl from being left out of the action yet again, Seto ran out the doorway that was connected to the balcony. If he hurried fast enough he could get back down to the lower level before the fight ended.

In the air, out of the corner of his eye, Atemu saw Seto running off. '_Damnit!' _He angrily thought. He had hoped that the prince would have stayed put while he took care of the Shadow Creatures.

Distracted, his mind on Seto's whereabouts, Atemu missed a chance to dodge as a shadow arrow struck his left wing. A numbing sensation developed in the wing and before Atemu knew what was happening he was crashing to the ground, unable to fly with only one uninjured wing.

Fortunately he landed in an area that had already been cleared of creatures.

Stretching his arms out in front of him, palms forward, Atemu crossed his wrists and fired a powerful beam of shadow magic at the creatures who were advancing upon him. The blast was powerful and destroyed anyone in its path, greatly reducing the number of Shadow Creatures in the room.

A three-tailed wolf tried attacking Atemu from the side but the short Shadow Creature saw the animal in time, spinning around so that the wolf was easily knocked away by his tail.

Creating shadow swords in each hand, Atemu began charging and slashing at the remaining Shadow Creatures. A large number however ended up fleeing the room, deciding that without a master they no longer had to fight.

It was then that Seto finally managed to make it back to the throne room. "Damn."

"Consider yourself lucky," Atemu grunted as he dusted himself off. "These were not a lot that you could have taken on with your feeble skills."

Seto fumed. "Feeble skills?"

"Yes."

"You're annoying."

A small smile crossed Atemu's lips. "You've always thought that."

Seto wanted to protest further but before he got a chance, Atemu wrapped his arms around the young prince's neck and tugged him down for a gentle kiss.

"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured against Seto's lips before completely pulling apart. Standing back a ways, Atemu fluttered his damaged wing to make sure that it wasn't a serious injury.

"What happened?" Seto curiously asked, noticing for the first time that the Shadow Creature had suffered an attack.

"I was hit by a stray shadow attack," Atemu explained with a weak smile. "It's nothing too bad and will heal in a day or two."

Relief washed over Seto upon hearing that the Shadow Creature was going to be okay. Perhaps Atemu was correct in that it had been a battle that it was best for Seto to miss. Nevertheless, Seto would never admit that to the young Shadow Creature.

"Looks like…" Seto trailed off as a violent rumbling shock the entire palace. "What was that?"

"Something's very wrong," Atemu murmured and they both began a fast run through the palace to the exit so that they would not only find out what was happening but also avoid the potential collapsing of the palace around them.

Reaching the entranceway, both Seto and Atemu were shocked to find the blue sky had turned purple-black with hundreds of Shadow Creatures flying around and marching across the land.

"What is this?"

"Highness!"

Snapping his head around, Seto saw Isis running towards him. "Isis?"

"Highness we made a grave miscalculation," the female priest panted as she caught her breath. "The shadows are out of control! Your father's death triggered some sort of release!"

"How do we stop it?" Atemu demanded to know. His power could not stand up against all the Shadow Creatures, which were now roaming about.

"There's a spell I know of that Prince Seto can perform…" Isis began and her blue eyes locked with Atemu's crimson ones. "…But it involves locking away the shadows forever. Never again will anyone be able to call forth Shadow Creatures."

"Then that is what will be done," Atemu firmly replied, knowing what it meant.

"I agree," Seto added, nodding his head. Unlike Atemu, the brunet had yet to make the connection.

The trio hurried back to the temple, Atemu killing any creature that got in their way, where a scroll of magic spells was awaiting them on a stone altar.

"I already found the right one," Isis hastily explained as she showed the prince what had to be read off. "The creatures started popping up as soon as your father was killed so I began preparing."

"Good," Seto replied. Turning his head slightly, Seto looked at Atemu who was standing next to him. "Don't worry. Let me handle things for a change."

A small smile crossed the Shadow Creature's lips. "I trust you to do what needs to be done."

Looking back down at the scroll, Seto began reading the text. As he further read it a howling wind tore through the temple forcing the trio to grip the edge of the altar to avoid being blown back.

When the prince finished the last line of the spell, the wind suddenly died as if it had never been there at all, and the two humans and one Shadow Creature collapsed to the ground.

"It's finished," Seto announced with a happy sigh, as he lay back, stretched out on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Next to him Atemu was already back to his feet.

"You were good. I know you'll make a fine ruler."

Seto grinned. "Especially with you by my side." Turning his head sideways, the grin fast disappeared when he saw that a gateway to the shadows had opened behind the Shadow Creature. "What's going on?"

"I have to go now," Atemu quietly replied with a sad look on his face. "I'm glad I got to meet you again."

Finally it dawned on Seto that locking away the shadows also meant that Atemu would disappear too.

"NO!" he cried, half sitting up, stretching an arm out to half-dragon creature, but the gateway had already closed with Atemu no longer in the human world. "ATEMU!"

* * *

**A/N - **Well isn't that a kick in the nuts. Atemu and Seto finally got back together and now they're seperated "forever". Any death threats over what happened should get directed towards Dragon since it's her story, but I don't recommend it since she's a crazy redneck. Don't mess with rednecks. 


	5. Dragon God of Darkness

**A/N - **Happy Anniversary Dukie (SEE!I didn't forget!) :P

* * *

"_ATEMU!"_

Blue eyes snapped open at the sound of own his voice calling out a person's name in his dream. Pale hands rose in front of his face to rub his tired eyes. Even after six hours of sleep, much longer than the brunet normally got, the fatigue had not disappeared from the young male's body.

'_It was only a dream,'_ his intellectual mind told him. '_Too much work is stressing you out.'_

"Ha!" came his no-nonsense reply. Work was his life; it wouldn't be the cause of unwanted dreams.

Sitting up, Seto reveled in the quietness of his bedroom. Soon his day would be busy as there was work to be done. A man with his power was always on the go, which left little time for relaxation.

Unfortunately for Seto his quiet, peaceful, relaxation time was cut short thanks to the blaring of cheesy pop music blaring out of his radio alarm.

With a growl, the brunet swung his arm over and had his hand crash down onto the device. His younger brother, Mokuba, had to have been in there playing around with it again since Seto certainly didn't listen to that type of music. In fact it was normally programmed to play no music at all as it was supposed to play only an annoying beeping sound when the alarm went off.

As silence once again filled the room, Seto slid out of bed, strolled over to his bay window and flung the curtains open so that he could stare out at his massive property while sun streamed into the room. Being the CEO of his own company at eighteen was a definitely a good thing.

A thin smile crossed Seto lips as he thought of that day two years ago when he confronted his adopted father for control of Kaiba Corporation, only to have the man jump out one of the highest windows of the building. That had been a good day.

Turning away from the window, Seto began to quickly dress in his school uniform, blue slacks and jacket buckled up to his neck. As CEO of his own company Seto could have opted to become a part time student but that would have taken an extra year and the young brunet was an impatient person. Instead he chose to attend the High School closest to his work, Domino High, where he was allowed to work on his company during class since he was a genius. With his superior intelligence it was the best arrangement possible because he couldn't drop out completely as he wanted to be a good role model for his brother.

With a sigh, Seto grabbed his briefcase and left his room, heading downstairs for breakfast. If the cook knew what was good for her, the food would already be on the table by the time he got down there.

"Good morning Niisama!" his younger brother, Mokuba, chirped as they met at the top of the stairs. The 13-year-old was dressed similarly to his brother but wore black instead of blue and had his jacket undone. "Happy Birthday!"

"Hn." Seto had forgotten that it was his birthday; a day he loathed. The first person that said 'Happy Birthday' to him besides Mokuba would live to regret it.

"I got you something," Mokuba happily said as he produced a small, neatly wrapped box from behind his back and handed it to his older brother.

With a sigh, Seto tore off the wrapping and opened the small box; inside was a lone Duel Monster card, a popular card game that Seto excelled in. Picking up the card with his slim fingers, Seto stared at the picture on the card. It was a dark skinned humanoid male, with spiky tri-colored hair, intense crimson eyes and wearing a simple white kilt and shirt. However the odd thing about the young man was the black dragon like wings which protruded from his back and the dragon's tail that snaked around his right leg.

'_He has a sad look in his eyes…' _Seto found himself thinking as he stared at the person on the card. The half human, half dragon creature seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"It's the only one of its kind," Mokuba proudly explained. "Pegasus made it in hopes to annoy you, figuring that you wouldn't be able to get it; but _I_ found out about it through a source in his company and acquired it for you."

Seto snorted. Pegasus J. Crawford, owner of Industrial Illusions and creator of the Duel Monsters card game would have definitely pulled a stunt like that simply to amuse himself. The silver-haired American certainly had an odd sense of humor and Seto often wondered how Pegasus' wife put up with him.

"Dragon God of Darkness," Seto murmured, reading the writing in the card. Interesting, the monster had attack points of 4000 but had to be specially summoned by sacrificing a light and dark dragon. On the plus side however, if the card was on the field, Seto could summon his beloved Blue Eyes White Dragons without sacrificing. Since the only Blue Eyes card that Seto didn't have was ripped in half and thus not useable, having the card would not benefit anyone beside himself. "Thank you Mokuba."

The younger Kaiba brother beamed as Seto slid the card into a pocket before continuing on his way down to where breakfast would be waiting. The tall brunet would add the card to his deck later once they were finished eating.

Making their way to the breakfast room, Seto was pleased to find a maid placing the food down on the table right on time. He had no time to wait for things like breakfast in the morning.

Seto and Mokuba ate quickly. As a rule, Seto refused to be late for school, preferring to arrive before everyone else so that he could take his seat in the back of the room and not be bothered by the other students.

Having only toast, Seto finished before his younger brother and once the area in front of him had been cleared, he picked up his briefcase from where it had been sitting next to him the entire time on the floor and plopped it down on the table. Opening it up he pulled free his Duel Disk that was attached to the top portion of the metal case. Taking his new card from his pocket, Seto flipped through his deck until he found a card that he could replace. He then returned the Duel Disk to his briefcase and pulled his laptop out of the bottom part of the metal case.

While Mokuba continued to eat, Seto reviewed some documents for Kaiba Corporation until it was time for them to leave. A limo dropped Mokuba off at his junior high school before taking Seto to the local high school. With his briefcase in tow, Seto headed toward his classroom, which fortunately was void of all students. Settling down at his desk in the back row, Seto pulled out his laptop once more and returned to his work.

Gradually, as time slowly ticked by, Seto's peers began filling the room. The young CEO however ignored it all. He hated his fellow students, as most of them didn't understand that he an enormous amount of work to do each day. There was a particular shaggy haired blond that took great delight in bothering him each day.

"Hey Kaiba!"

Seto flinched slightly at the sound of his name being called but other than that he continued focusing on his computer. The best way to deal with the aggravating blond was to ignore him for a few minutes, as it would anger him further.

"Can't you hear me Kaiba? I want to duel you!"

The fingers that had been dancing across the keypad paused slightly as Seto tilted his head upwards to glare at the annoying blond who had a fist clinched and was holding it up in front of him. "Dueling you is a waste of my valuable time Bonkotsu."

A growl escaped the blond and he had to be held back from attacking Seto by his friend who had pointed brown hair. "Let me go Honda!"

"Give it a rest Jounouchi!"

"Settle down you idiots!" hissed a short haired brunette called Anzu. "The teacher is coming!"

Jounouchi, Honda and the rest of the students quickly sat down in their seats while Seto went back to his work. At least now he would have some peace until the end of Homeroom when they would change teachers.

Seto silently worked on his laptop while the other students paid attention to the announcements, he didn't care one way or another what was going on with school events. Six more months and he'd be graduated. Then he could work on his company full time and never associate with the other students again except when they were taking his order in a restaurant.

A smirk crossed Seto's face as he shot a quick glance at Jounouchi who was busy whispering to his tri-colored haired friend, Mutou Yugi. Some students wouldn't be qualified enough to work in restaurant where he would eat. Instead they'd be working in a low class, fast food place.

Homeroom gradually morphed into their first period as they had the same teacher for both. It was English and fortunately for Seto he was fluent in the language. This allowed him to continue with his work while the others attempted to read out of a child's comic book.

Time quickly went by for Seto, who barely noticed when the class ended and their teacher disappeared. In the spare time between one teacher leaving and the other arriving, the shaggy haired blond hurried back toward where Seto was peacefully working.

"I said duel me Kaiba!"

Again however Seto ignored him and eventually the same girl from before scolded Jounouchi until he sat back down.

The rest of the morning went by smoothly without any issues; Seto was not further bothered by the students and was allowed to work in peace. Two minutes before the lunch bell rang, Seto packed away his laptop and was on his way out the door as soon as the bell began to ring before any annoying individuals could corner him.

During the lunch period, Seto headed to his office; every day the limo picked him up on time and drove him the short distance to the Kaiba Corporation headquarters a few blocks away. Seto would work all throughout the lunch hour before ordering the limo to take him back to school; things were always perfectly timed so he got back to class right as the bell rang to indicate the next period.

Seto continued to work in class throughout the afternoon as well. At one time his teachers had attempted to get him to pay attention to the class but they had long since given up on foolish idealistic dreams. Seto had proven long ago that he could work while in class and still maintain perfect grades. It had been over a year since the last teacher had tried to stop him and that ignorant woman had quickly found herself unemployed.

Time rolled by as the rest of the students were busy with their studies. Finally the last bell of the day rang indicating that it was time for the students to either head to their respective clubs or to go home. Seto of course would be going straight to Kaiba Corporation.

"Duel me Kaiba!" he heard the shaggy haired blond yell behind him.

"Hn." Seto had enough. Every opportunity Jounouchi had he would challenge Seto to a duel; things would end now.

Slowly Seto turned around and pointed at the blond. "Bonkotsu, you asked for it."

Placing his briefcase on the ground, Seto opened it and retrieved his Duel Disk. Attaching the device to his arm, Seto freed his deck and began shuffling it; across from him at the right distance, Jounouchi was doing the same.

Both returned their cards to their disks and then extended their arms so that the device could open up. "Duel!" they yelled and quickly drew their five cards.

"I'll go first," Jounouchi declared as he drew another card and then studied all of them for a few seconds while trying to think of a plan. The blond was quick to remember however that his best strategy was having none at all. "I play Wyvern no Senshi in Attack Mode! Turn End!"

"Hmph." Seto was unimpressed. It wouldn't take long for him to finish Jounouchi but he hoped he'd get an opportunity to test his new card. "Draw!"

A smirk crossed Seto's face when he saw the card he had drawn, Shi No Deck Hakai Virus; unfortunately it would have to be another day when he saw his new card in action.

"Blood Vorse!" he called out placing the monster in attack mode. He then placed two cards face down. One was the trap card he had just drawn and the other the magic card Shuushuku. Once Jounouchi attacked he would use the magic card to shrink his own monster and then spring the trap infecting the blond's deck so that he would not be able to use any monster over 1500 attack points. "Turn End."

A drop of sweat rolled off Jounouchi's forehead; the duel had just started and already he knew he was losing. He knew at least one of the two covered cards was a trap and at the moment there was nothing he could do about it.

"Go Jounouchi-kun!" his best friend Yugi yelled from the sidelines where the short duelist was standing with their other friends Honda and Anzu.

"You can do it!" Anzu called.

"Don't lose!" Honda added.

Jounouchi grinned; there was no way he could lose with his friends at his side. "Draw!" he yelled and then took a quick glance at the card. "Yes! I sacrifice Wyvern no Senshi to bring out Jinzo Ningen Psycho Shocker!"

"What?" Seto watched in horror as his virus card disappeared from the playing field.

"Psycho Shocker, attack!"

"Reverse Card Open!" Seto yelled shrinking Psycho Shocker down to half its attack points. Easily his Blood Vorse then defeated it, lowering Jounouchi's life points to 3300.

"Grr…" Jounouchi growled before placing one card face down. "Turn End."

"Draw!" Staring down at the card, Seto gave a small gasp when he saw the picture of the humanoid dragon, he could feel the electricity pulsing from the card; quickly he formed a plan. "I sacrifice Blood Vorse to summon Kaiser Glider. And I play from my hand Shikoku no Dragon. Attack!"

Both dragons flew at the helpless Jounouchi for a direct attack but unfortunately the shaggy haired blond was prepared. "Magic Card Activate!"

Four furry, horned creatures popped in front of Jounouchi as Scapegoat was activated. Harmlessly, Seto's dragons attacked the cute creatures delivering no damage to Jounouchi.

"Turn End," Seto spat. His ego was singed after being outsmarted by the dim-witted duelist.

"Draw! Shikkoku No Hyosenshi Panther Warrior in Attack Mode!"

Sacrificing one of the two remaining scapegoats, Jounouchi had Panther Warrior attack Seto's Shikoku No Dragon dropping the CEO's life points down to 1100.

"Yay!" came the cries as his friends celebrated. Jounouchi now had a huge lead.

"I play Little Winguard in Defense and end my turn."

"Draw!" Seto yelled out before playing a magic card. "Shisha Sosei!" Back from the Graveyard came the Shikoku No Dragon.

"Jounouchi-kun! Kaiba-kun is up to something!" Yugi yelled from the sidelines. He knew that Seto would not bring back such a weak card for no reason. "He has a plan!"

"Well…bring it! I'm ready for you Kaiba!"

Seto smirked. This was the moment he was waiting for. "I sacrifice Shikoku No Dragon and Kaiser Glider to play _Dragon God of Darkness_!"

Dark clouds formed in the sky and a crack of lightning thundered as Seto laid the card down on his duel disk. The Earth shook as the schoolyard trembled and all the students who had been watching ran off with the exception of Yugi, Honda and Anzu.

On the playing field appeared the half-dragon creature. His wings fluttered as he hovered in place and he took a glance over his shoulder to look at Seto with intense crimson eyes. In the brief moment their eyes met, the brilliant CEO could have sworn the creature was real.

"What the…?" Jounouchi said on the other side of the field. "Umm…Yugi…?"

The short student however shook his head. "I've never heard of that card before."

"I invoke the Dragon God's special ability to special summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Seto yelled. "_Horobi no Burst Stream_!" The remaining scapegoat was blasted from the field. Then Seto called upon the Dragon God to attack, somehow already knowing the name of monster's attack. "_Child of the Gods_!"

A blast of purple-black fire erupted from the outstretched hands of the half-dragon creature, frying Panther Warrior. Jounouchi's life points dropped to 1300 and he as only left with Little Winguard on the field.

A triumphant smirk crossed Seto's lips. "Turn End."

"Don't give up Jounouchi!" Honda called.

"Draw!" Jounouchi yelled with determination. The odds were against him but he would not give up. "Shisha Sosei!" Psycho Shocker returned to the field from the Graveyard. "I then sacrifice Psycho Shocker and Little Winguard to bring out Red Eyes Black Dragon! And with Red Eyes I play the magic card Tenshi No Saikoro and the magic card Nails of Bain!"

The impressive dragon appeared in front of the blond along with a blue dice that began to roll. The number the die landed would be multiplied by 100 and then added to the Red Eyes attack points, which was already increased by 600 points due to the Nails of Bain magic card.

Holding his breath, Jounouchi yelled out in celebration as the die landed on 5; the Red Eyes Black Dragon now had attack points of 3500. "Attack the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Seto growled as his beloved dragon disappeared from the playing field and his life points fell to 600. It didn't matter though. The duel would be over soon.

"Turn End," Jounouchi said with a grin while his friends cheered.

"Draw!" Seto didn't even bother looking at the card he drew. "_Child of the Gods_!"

"Reverse Card Open!"

Seto scowled as the annoying blond played the magic card Akuma No Saikoro and the devil holding the red dice appeared. He had been stupid to walk in such an obvious trap now he had to worry about the magic card lowering the Dragon God's attack points lower than the 3000 that the Red Eyes Black Dragon was currently at.

"Come on!" Yugi hollered.

Lady Luck however was with Seto as the die harmlessly fell on 1. With triumphant glee spread across his face, Seto watched as Jounouchi's life points fell to zero. "Mwahahahahaha!"

"He almost had you that time Kaiba!" Anzu scolded but Seto was too busy laughing to hear her.

"Shut up Kaiba!"

"Leave it alone Honda, I'll win next time," Jounouchi told him. "I know about that Dragon God thing now and won't be caught off guard."

"Kaiba-kun where did you get that card anyway?" Yugi asked. He was the only one out of their group who didn't hate the CEO.

"Mwahahahaha!"

"Yugi ask him tomorrow," Jounouchi grumbled as he grabbed his backpack, turned around and began walking away. "He's too busy in his victory celebration right now."

Hurrying after their friend, Yugi, Honda and Anzu scurried off.

"Mwahahahahaha!"

After a few minutes Seto had finally calmed enough to gather up his cards still on his Duel Disk and return the device to his briefcase. He was still chuckling softly to himself as the joy of kicking Jounouchi's ass and seeing his new card in action was more than enough to make up for being late for work.

Adjusting his school uniform Seto was about to head off to the limo when a voice halted him in his tracks.

"I take it we did well."

Snapping his head downward, Seto found that the Dragon God of Darkness now stood in front of him, barely coming up to his chest.

That wasn't right; Seto had turned off the Duel Disk and both it and the card were packed away in his briefcase.

A smirk crossed the Duel Monster's face. "It's good to know that I've still got it."

* * *

**Notes: -** Those who read my LJ know how much "fun" I had with the duel. I don't think it turned out **too** badly except for the fact that the only attack name I could remember was for the BEWD. I suck at remember attack names except for BM, BEWD and the God Cards. Fortunately the duel was between Seto and Jou who always have short duels (since Seto is so good and Jou...well...yeah...). 

-If you couldn't tell I used the Japanese names for all the cards. That's simply what I'm use to since I've seen the anime 5 billion times, lol. All the cards used by Seto and Jou are ones they always use in their duels.

-Dragon was the one who came up with the ideas for Atemu's card, which was so nice of her since the most dueling I know of is from the anime (even with the manga I tend to speed read over any huge duels especially when Yami or Kaiba are not in them).

-Fun Fact: Those little comic books they were using in class to study English was actually something from my own High School when I was studying French. Ususally they're around 12-20 pages and have word dictionary in the back. Sad to say one year I learned more French from those comic books than I did from my French teacher. Seriously if there was a worst teacher of the year award she'd win hands down as she only showed up half the time to teach and half the time when she did show up she'd claim she was ill and sit at her desk the entire time with her head on it. Of course my mark ended up dropping (I had only gotten As in French until that point) and she ended up telling my parents it was I wasn't applying myself. After that year I ended up dropping French becasue I refused to run the risk of having her again (I also did not take Drama when I was going to because she also taught that).


End file.
